Closet Insomnia
by VoiceintheShadows
Summary: Set after the Soul Society, Rukia tries to figure out why she's so comfortable in Ichigo's closet. A slight IchiRuki.


Disclaimer: As the writer I would like to stress one thing: I don't own anything.

This is set Post Soul Society. Thank you.

"Speech"; _Thought_; Narration. Enjoy the show.

Closet Insomnia 

Rukia walked down a dark alley, trying to find her way. She hadn't been in Karakura Town for a while and was really having trouble getting back to Ichigo's house. And it didn't help that it was dark. "Huff! Life was so much easier when I just rode on Ichigo's back." She felt like she had been walking for hours; even wandering aimlessly, she should have seen _something_ familiar by now.

THUMP!

Rukia looked up just in time to see someone in a white uniform run around a corner. "Ichigo?" She rounded the corner in time to see the figure just running out of a streetlight. A tall and skinny boy, white shirt, odd colored spiky hair: definitely Ichigo. "Ichigo!" She called after the figure. "ICHIGO! DAMMIT, ICHIGO! STOP RUNNING ALREADY!"

He stopped, the moonlight barely making him visible. Rukia slowed to a stop, gasping for breath. "Ichigo! Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" He turned his head a little and smirked back at her. "Are you mocking me?" She yelled running up to him. He finished turning around and Rukia stopped dead in her tracks.

"Are you the strongest one here?" Grimmjow grinned down at her.

"Wha-" was all that she was able to get out as his hand thrust through her chest.

"Hah! Guess not."

FLASH!

Rukia woke up with a start and immediately froze. _Where am I? This isn't Byakuya's house. It's not even the 13__th__ Company's barracks._ She clutched the fabric around her chest where the hole should have been. _Where in the world-_ and then she heard it: faint breathing. She let her eyes adjust to the dark room and realized there wasn't one, but two others here. Then it hit her, she was in Ichigo's sisters' room. _It really __is__ too cramped in here,_ she thought.

She rolled over and closed her eyes. Grimmjow instantly appeared and her eyes snapped open. She sighed, thinking, _There's no way I'm going to get back to sleep now._ She got up and quietly snuck out of the room. She eased the door shut and thought about what to do next. She didn't want to wander around the house because she'd wake everyone up and she couldn't go outside to walk either. It was thundering and she was too scared to- _No! I'm not scared, just cautious. Yes, it's strategically better to stay inside, rest up and-_

BOOM!

She jumped. "Ok, I'm scared. But that doesn't mean I'm a coward. I simply realize that there are stronger enemies out-"

CRASH!

She jumped, again. _Stupid rain. Stupid thunder. Stupid, stupid-_

BANG!

She ran for Ichigo's room. _Forget formalities! Forget appearances! I just don't want to be alone right now!_ She hesitated at his door, not sure if this was a good idea. Pressing one ear against it, she tapped at the door a few times. She couldn't hear anything so she peaked inside. Ichigo was lying in his bed and looked like he was sleeping soundly. She headed for his closet and jumped inside.

Rukia tried closing her eyes and only saw the darkness from the back of her eyelids. "Ah, much better." She said, snuggling up with the spare blankets around her. She sometimes wondered why she was so comfortable here. She was, after all, a member of the great Kuchiki Clan. Anyone should be able to get used to the extravagant life but she never really got over the pleasures of simplicity from her "childhood." Then again, maybe it was because he was out there. _Not that I need him to keep me safe. He's just an interesting anomaly because of his intense, untraceable, spiritual pressure. Yeah, that's all._

She heard a groan and her eyes flew open. Opening the door slightly, she looked outside and whispered, "Ichigo?" By the way he kept groaning and thrashing, he was obviously having a nightmare. She slid out of the closet and cautiously stepped forward.

Ichigo hadn't had a good night's sleep since he'd gotten back from the Soul Society. _It's bad enough that my inner hallow has been acting up but, just after Rukia came back, those Irr- Arak- Super Hallows show up. _His dreams stared with his hallow taking over his body and his friends having to destroy him. But after last night, he kept seeing Rukia being impaled by Grimmjow.

Rukia inched closer, never taking her eyes off his face. It was covered with sweat and occasionally twitched with fear. It was hard to see him like this. She's never seen him look this scared, well not since she was arrested by her brother anyway. Rukia reached across the bed and started to shake his shoulder.

"Ichigo? Ichigo! Ichi-"

He rolled over and held her close to him. Rukia gasped and tried to push away. After a few failed attempts, she looked up at his face and saw that it was calm; almost… peaceful. Rukia had given up on escape and got into a more comfortable position. She closed her eyes and, before she realized it, fell into a peaceful sleep.


End file.
